The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday authorized the use of AstraZeneca's antibody cocktail to prevent COVID-19 infections in individuals with weak immune systems or a history of severe side effects from coronavirus vaccines.
The logo for AstraZeneca is seen outside its North America headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S., March 22, 2021. REUTERS/Rachel WisniewskiDec 8 - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday authorized the use of AstraZeneca's
The antibody cocktail, Evusheld, is only authorized for adults and adolescents who are not currently infected with the novel coronavirus and have not recently been exposed to an infected individual, the regulatorThe authorization for the therapy, made up of two monoclonal antibodies tixagevimab and cilgavimab, marks a significant step for AstraZeneca, whose widely used COVID-19 vaccine is yet to be approved by U.S. authorities.AstraZeneca last month had agreed to supply the U.S.
Although vaccines currently provide the best defense against COVID-19, certain immune compromised individuals or those who have a history of severe adverse reactions to a vaccine need an alternative prevention option, said Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.